Celebrity Jews, Hollywood, Movies and more

10.04.2017

The Jewish News

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GRIDIRON HEBREWSJewish Sports Review magazine is just out with its annual list of Jews in the NFL and it’s the thinnest year I can recall. Only three Jewish players are on an active NFL roster. They are: Nate Ebner, 28, New England Patriots. Ebner, a special teams star, had a great season last year. He had 19 unassisted and assisted tackles. This was higher than any other NFL special teams player. He was named All-Pro, 2nd team, in an A.P. poll; Ali Marpet, 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Marpet, an offensive lineman, has started all the team’s games during his first two NFL seasons. He may be moved to center this year; and Mitchell Schwartz, 27, offensive lineman, Kansas City Chiefs. Schwartz spent his first four seasons with Cleveland before spurning a “low-ball” contract offer in 2016 and signing with the Chiefs. The Chiefs are paying him very well — a five-year, $33 million contract. His solid play last season got him named to the AP’s All-Pro 2nd team. His brother Geoff, 31, was an NFL lineman from 2008-2016. He was injured during his last two seasons and he retired last February; New England star receiver Julian Edelman, 31, will be out for the season with an injury. Edelman “kind of” identifies as Jewish. However, as far as I know, he hasn’t converted to Judaism and, in common parlance, he’s 1/8 Jewish (his paternal great-grandfather). Local Note: Jared Char, a sophomore from Farmington Hills, is a U-M running back.

BLADE RUNNER REDUX
Opening Oct. 6: The original Blade Runner film (1982) depicted a very bleak Los Angeles in 2019. Now comes the sequel, Blade Runner 2049. As the title implies, we have jumped ahead 30 years. LAPD officer “K” (Ryan Gosling) unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find former LAPD “blade runner” Rick Deckard, who has been missing for 30 years. Harrison Ford, 75, played Deckard in the original and reprises his role in the sequel. (A blade runner is an officer assigned to running down androids that travel to Earth.) The first film gave hints that Deckard, himself, was an android who was unaware that he wasn’t human. Perhaps the sequel will clear this up.

NEW SEASON JEWS: CATCH UP AND LOOK AHEAD
It’s possible that Star Trek: Discovery will give a big boost to CBS All-Access, a “pay extra” streaming service that hasn’t yet taken off. The series premiered on Access on Sept. 24 to mostly favorable reviews. My plan is to sign up for a month and binge watch if Discovery reviews stay good. British Jewish actor Jason Isaacs, 54, co-stars as the captain of the starship Discovery. However, the first officer, played by African American actress Sonequa Martin-Green, has a bigger role in Discovery than the captain.

Gal Gadot, 32, will host Saturday Night Live on Oct. 7. The star of the mega-hit Wonder Woman will re-appear in this role in the blockbuster Justice League, which is scheduled to open Nov. 17.